Amazing Simplicity

 

From Forest To Bonsai

This is the story of my personal journey out of the forest... Towards the simplicity I crave symbolized by bonsai. 

Amazing Simplicity

It took me by surprise. The notion that simplicity in and of itself is something that has had a place in the shadows for quite some time now, and it is time 'she' is called back into the spotlight.  Why do we look down on her as if she were unworthy of a place of honor in the sun?

Instead of saying, "The simpler the better" we have bought into the mentality that says, " The more sophisticated, the better." We are bombarded with the 'newest, best thing' and we buy into the marketing ploys at every turn. How about the "10 ways to do, be or achieve this or that" lists that end up on our bookshelves?

I realized something while I was watching documentary of a Siberian man as he carved out a dugout from a tree trunk using traditional tools and traditional methods. These methods have been tried and tested over centuries and they work. I watched them construct a hunting cabin from logs, moss and mud with little more than a chainsaw, and a few axes. They had no access to fancy equipment, but they possessed the skills they needed to survive in the wilderness. I doubt a local modern carpenter would be able to construct a shelter such as this one without his gadgets and tools. The skill of these simple, rugged and rural carpenters with their limited resources was astounding. Occasionally there may be one who has sufficient, specialized training. It really isn't about "what you have", is it? It is about your skill, your discipline and what you do with what you have.

So should we look down at simplicity and turn up our noses at her? She deserves to be heard, she deserves to be rewarded. Her plea to use only what we need and no more, no longer falls on deaf ears as we each do our part to live simply, give generously and use our resources responsibly.

Simplicity really can be quite an amazing thing in so many ways.